“Oh my, was it feeding time? Thanks to Laurel, we feel much more at ease. Actually, taking care of babies during this time is the hardest.”

Benia, the director, handed Laurel some snacks while speaking.

“The director and Josh managed all these children by themselves. It must have been so hard.”

“Nania and Max helped a lot, so we managed somehow. The problem is Nania and Max need care themselves, yet we keep giving them adult responsibilities.”

Nania was twelve and Max was fourteen, the oldest children in this orphanage.

“Still, I’m really thankful. The orphanage has new owners now. Until then, I struggled to understand what the previous owner was thinking.”

Benia munched on sliced apples while speaking with a sigh.

“I wondered, was some wealthy person trying to torment us by neglecting the orphanage? Or had they forgotten this orphanage existed? Then why did they still collect such high rent for this place? Were they really trying to torment us…… I had such useless thoughts.”

Laurel nodded and listened to the director’s story.

“The new owner who took over the orphanage now provides generous support, and even sent such a wonderful person like you. I’m truly grateful.”

Benia smiled and held Laurel’s hands tightly.

Laurel silently smiled and bowed her head at the rough touch of the elderly director’s hands, worn from years of hard work.

“This might sound shameless, but I hope you’ll stay with us for a very long time, Laurel. Though we don’t have much to offer you……”

“I didn’t come here expecting anything. It’s fine.”

Benia looked at her with moist eyes, seemingly even more moved by Laurel’s humble words.

That’s when it happened.

“Director! We have visitors! They came with a huuuuge carriage!”

Max burst in with an excited voice.

“Laurel!”

Jeffrey, who had been untying ropes from the cargo carriage, spotted Laurel holding Nana and smiled brightly.

“Jeffrey! What’s all this?”

“Ah, this. Miss told me to bring some unused things from the mansion.”

“What?”

“Ah, you must be the one who called about sending donations.”

Benia grabbed Jeffrey’s hands with a bright face and shook them vigorously.

“Yes, yes! That’s right. Haha! Here are apple and tangerine jams, and I brought some meat and flour for the children. And these are winter blankets and quilts. Ah, these are clothes my daughter wore when she was young. Though old, they’ve been kept clean……”

“Oh my goodness! Such wonderful things……”

Director Benia covered her mouth in disbelief at the amount of donations, her eyes wide.

“Where are my manners! I, I should call Miss Lashantia to thank her!”

Benia rushed into the old orphanage building, saying she needed to express her gratitude.

The excited children, without being asked, carried items from the cargo carriage into the orphanage.

Jeffrey watched the children running away with a smile, then slowly turned to Laurel.

“Getting by okay?”

Laurel smiled and nodded.

“This is Nana. She won’t leave my side. Say hello, Nana. This bald mister is Jeffrey.”

“Oh, hello, Nana! I’m bald Jeffrey!”

When Jeffrey cheerfully greeted her and playfully patted his bald head, the child burst into tears in shock.

“Oh no! Sorry, sorry! Must be your first time seeing a bald head!”

Laurel let out a small laugh when Jeffrey hurriedly put his hat back on.

“……Aren’t you going back?”

In front of the now empty cargo carriage.

He should leave after unloading the cargo, but he stood like a stone, staring at Laurel without moving.

“Ahem! Hem! Cindy said……”

Jeffrey suddenly mentioned Cindy’s name while scratching his reddened cheek.

“……Cindy?”

“She told me to stay here long. Fix anything that needs fixing, run any errands needed.”

“……”

“She said not to return before dinner, absolutely not.”

Laurel looked at him with a helpless expression.

Her heart grew warm again.

This shouldn’t happen…….

I shouldn’t feel such warmth, I’m not someone who deserves it.

“Ahem! So, well, do you have anything that needs doing?”

“……”

“……Laurel? Oh, dear, why are you suddenly crying? Don’t, don’t cry!”

……I’m sorry, Tommy. I’m sorry. Really, I’m sorry.

Laurel hung her head low and swallowed her sobs.

The small baby in her arms reached out to touch her tear-stained cheeks.

* * *

“……Thirty, seven.”

Lumiere barely counted in a thin voice.

Her tightly pulled-up hair trembled along with her body.

“Just a little more! Only three more to go!”

“Master, you can do it! You’ve got this!”

The twins’ loud cheers echoed through the small backyard.

‘This is hard. I feel like I’m dying. Why am I doing this?’

Though she couldn’t speak a word, her mind buzzed with thoughts.

She slowly took one step at a time, following the twins’ guidance on either side, her hands on her hips.

Before starting, she never thought this would become such a difficult task.

‘Still, I won’t give up.’

Lumiere squeezed her eyes shut and called out the next number while swallowing her panting breaths.

“Thi, ugh, hnngh…… ty, eight!”

“Well done!”

“Just one more!”

Without realizing it, she swallowed the first syllable and strongly pronounced the last.

It wasn’t intentional. Really not intentional…….

‘Thirty-eight, thiirty-eight! Thiiiirty-eight!!’

Tearlike sweat drops fell plop, plop beneath her chin.

Maybe they were actually tears.

Anyway, she had no mind to care about such things.

The twins were right, only two left now.

She shouted the number again like she was screaming.

“Thi, thirty, huff, huff, nine!”

The reason for doing this? What was the reason for doing this?

This deathly, truly vomit-inducing difficult exercise.

“One left! Just one!”

“Amazing, wonderful, excellent, our Master!”

To become healthy.

To avoid dizziness, seeing hallucinations, or hearing things.

To avoid losing to pain or suffering.

To lose a little less to such things.

No, to finally win against them……!

“……fo, fo, forty!! Aaargh!”

Lumiere screamed out forty and fell backward with a thud.

Her legs trembled so much she couldn’t stand properly.

Her face burned bright red, and her ears felt stuffed.

Why was this so hard?

She couldn’t think straight from the breathlessness and heaviness in her legs.

“Our Master did it! Finally!”

“Forty reps in four sets! She broke that difficult wall in just a week! Let’s celebrate!”

“Oh dear, our Miss is dying! You two, you should have gone easier! Miss, Miss! Drink some water!”

Cindy, who had been watching anxiously from afar, came running with cold water.

“Th, thank you……”

Lumiere barely raised her hand while still sprawled on the ground.

She could barely lift even her hand.

Before starting the walking lunges with hands on hips, the twins had shown her how much they could squeeze out of her arm and shoulder muscles with just 1kg dumbbells.

Having completed one hundred and sixty repetitions total, all her arms and legs trembled.

Cindy quickly supported her upper body and helped her drink the water.

Lumiere didn’t refuse Cindy’s help and gulped down the water flowing into her throat.

“……Whew! Wow, I never knew water could taste this good until I started exercising.”

The three people watched Lumiere, who spoke with a bright smile, with different expressions.

While Cindy’s face said ‘How could our Miss have to do such harsh things’ and she was about to cry…….

Arwin’s face showed hope, thinking ‘Our Master does exercise better than expected. We must guide her more!’

And Darwin’s face said ‘Our beautiful Master is amazing no matter what she does!’